THERE’LL be no dancing in the streets of Egremont this September. No Cumberland and Wrestlers will t”ek hod”, and the parading ponies will have the day off.

And the World Gurning Championship contenders will have to put a brave face on their – well, brave faces.

The Egremont Crab Fair was established in 1267, making it one of the oldest in the world. So the news that the social-distancing regulations have put the kibosh on this year’s will upset many locals and visitors alike (it often attracts TV crews from around the world in a celebration of English quirkiness).

All the more reason, then, to relish a look at events from recent years and to remind ourselves that it will all be back next year.

It’s all a throwback to medieval times, when the serfs to the manor of Egremont had brought in the harvest and got together for what the show’s website calls “crude but arousing and sporting games”. It was given a more formal status in 1267 when King Henry III signed a charter granting an annual fair.

Of more recent vintage is the free Friday evening concert Dancing In The Street. The following day brings the Apple Cart spectacle on Main Street and traditional games, rides and displays on the sports field.

But the World Gurning Championships last most in the memory. So hang up the braffin, and let’s see you in 2021.